7-year-old driver and the beer-swigging kid

Related Articles

Two news stories highlight that excessive alcohol intake and parenting don’t mix well. The Mail Online reports that one US family were being sought by police after posting what appeared to be pictures of their four-year-old daughter drinking from a beer bottle on Instagram. Fellow Instagrammers complained to the authorities, leading to an investigation.

The parents insisted that the photo only shows the girl drinking water out of the Heineken beer bottle. They had added the caption “German beer is gooudd!” to the Instagram account linked to "Davinci Tattoo and Piercing".

Police said that they did not have enough evidence to pursue underage drinking charges, and the local child services would not investigate as the matter “did not meet the criteria” needed by the agency.

Cautionary tale number two:

Also in the Mail, Australian police made a shocking discovery when they pulled a car over after spotting a “small person” behind the wheel. The small person turned out to be a seven-year-old boy who was driving his inebriated father home.

The young boy was evidently traumatised when confronted by the police, blurting out “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t take me and my dad to jail”. The boy’s father was found to be four times over the limit and has since been banned from driving for 21 months.

According to the report, the father was spared jail as his drinking problem stemmed from losing his wife, parents, grandmother and several friends in the months prior to the incident.

These are obviously unusual stories which should remind parents that excessive drinking and parenting don’t go well together and that when in a position of responsibility, alcohol intake should be limited and alternative transport should be organised.

24.com publishes all comments posted on articles provided that they adhere to our Comments Policy. Should you wish to report a comment for editorial review, please do so by clicking the 'Report Comment' button to the right of each comment.